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3.1.1 Photograph Module

Introduction

In this kit, equipped with a camera module, let’s try to take a picture with Raspberry Pi.

Required Components

In this project, we need the following components.

It’s definitely convenient to buy a whole kit, here’s the link:

Name	ITEMS IN THIS KIT	LINK
Raphael Kit	337	Raphael Kit

You can also buy them separately from the links below.

COMPONENT INTRODUCTION	PURCHASE LINK
Camera Module	BUY

Experimental Procedures

Step 1: Go into the Raspberry Pi Desktop. You may need a screen for a better experience, refer to: Connect your Raspberry Pi. Or access the Raspberry Pi desktop remotely, for a detailed tutorial please refer to Remote Desktop.

Step 2: Open a Terminal and get into the folder of the code.

cd ~/raphael-kit/python/

Step 3: Run.

sudo python3 3.1.1_PhotographModule.py

After the code runs, the camera will take a photo. Now you can see the photo named my_photo.jpg in the ~ directory.

Note

You can also open 3.1.1_PhotographModule.py in the ~/raphael-kit/python/ path with a Python IDE, click Run button to run, and stop the code with Stop button.

If you want to download the photo to your PC, please refer to FileZilla Software.

Code

#!/usr/bin/env python3
from picamera2 import Picamera2, Preview
import os

# Get the current user's login name
user = os.getlogin()
# Get the path to the user's home directory
user_home = os.path.expanduser(f'~{user}')

# Create a Picamera2 instance
camera = Picamera2()
# Retrieve the default preview configuration
preview_config = camera.preview_configuration

try:
    # Set preview size and format
    preview_config.size = (800, 600)
    preview_config.format = 'XRGB8888'
    # Start the camera preview in QTGL mode
    camera.start_preview(Preview.QTGL)
    # Start the camera
    camera.start()
    # Capture and save a photo to the user's home directory
    camera.capture_file(f'{user_home}/my_photo.jpg')

except KeyboardInterrupt:
    # Stop the camera preview if a KeyboardInterrupt (e.g., Ctrl+C) occurs
    camera.stop_preview()
    pass

Code Explanation

Imports the Picamera2 and Preview classes from the picamera2 library, and the os module for operating system interactions.
```
#!/usr/bin/env python3
from picamera2 import Picamera2, Preview
import os
```

Retrieves the current user’s login name and the path to their home directory.

# Get the current user's login name
user = os.getlogin()
# Get the path to the user's home directory
user_home = os.path.expanduser(f'~{user}')

Creates an instance of the Picamera2 class and retrieves the default preview configuration.

# Create a Picamera2 instance
camera = Picamera2()
# Retrieve the default preview configuration
preview_config = camera.preview_configuration

Sets the size and format of the camera preview. The size is set to 800x600 pixels, and the format is set to XRGB8888.

try:
    # Set preview size and format
    preview_config.size = (800, 600)
    preview_config.format = 'XRGB8888'

    ...

Starts the camera preview in QTGL mode, which is a method for displaying the preview, and then starts the camera itself.

try:
    ...

    # Start the camera preview in QTGL mode
    camera.start_preview(Preview.QTGL)
    # Start the camera
    camera.start()

    ...

Capture an image from the camera, storing it in ~/.

try:
    ...

    # Capture and save a photo to the user's home directory
    camera.capture_file(f'{user_home}/my_photo.jpg')

Note

You can use camera.capture() function and for loop together to achieve continuous shooting. And use the delay function to adjust the time interval for taking pictures.

for i in 5:
    camera.capture(f'{user_home}/my_photo%s.jpg' % i)

This block of code handles a KeyboardInterrupt (such as Ctrl+C) by stopping the camera preview. The pass statement is used to handle the exception without doing anything else.
```
except KeyboardInterrupt:
    # Stop the camera preview if a KeyboardInterrupt (e.g., Ctrl+C) occurs
    camera.stop_preview()
    pass
```